


Rotting Garden, Fresh Flowers

by Bread_Bird



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst with a Happy Ending, Cheating, Divorce, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Getting Together, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Probably ooc, maybe? just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:01:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28392807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bread_Bird/pseuds/Bread_Bird
Summary: DISCLAIMER: I do not ship Toko and Byakuya. They are together early solely to drive the plot, and I tried my best to emphasize that their relationship is not healthy for either of them.Togami’s marriage was a wreck. He knew that even before he said ‘I do’ at the altar, and could feel in his bones that it was a mistake to propose to Toko Fukawa before he even pulled out the ring to do it.Or, alternatively, where Byakuya and Toko's failing marriage turns into something better for the both of them.
Relationships: Fukawa Touko/Naegi Komaru, Fukawa Touko/Togami Byakuya, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Comments: 32
Kudos: 96





	1. Art Chapter!

When I told my friend that I would be writing this fanfiction, they were extremely excited about it and decided to do art for it. They don't have an Archive account, but their social media is below, attached to the art. They helped a lot and continue to help in my creative process, so it would mean a lot to the both of us if you checked them out! 


	2. Chapter 2

Togami’s marriage was a wreck. He knew that even before he said ‘I do’ at the altar, and could feel in his bones that it was a mistake to propose to Toko Fukawa before he even pulled out the ring to do it. She had idolized him ever since high school, he should have figured sooner that giving her attention wasn’t going to get whatever was wrong with her to just stop all of the sudden. It was the same shit to him, day in and day out. He would wake up, make breakfast for the two of them in the apartment he paid for in its entirety, wake her up, leave before she could say anything, come home to a mediocre dinner and some movie that Toko was using for inspiration, and go to bed next to her. It was monotonous and it was miserable to him, but his father had insisted that he have someone, anyone, before he took over the company. Now at the head of the Togami Corporation, he thought to himself why he was still in such a loveless marriage with such an awful woman as he returned to his apartment, returning his car keys to their hook and setting his briefcase on the floor.

“Toko, I’m-” his breath caught in his throat as he turned his head. Right. Physical pleasure. That’s why he was here.

Toko was sitting on the couch, facing the TV. She occasionally glanced up from her writing, furiously typing away at her laptop, to see the pictures on the screen, but Byakuya didn’t particularly care what she was writing. She was an author, she had a tendency to do that, but he was more focused on the fact that she was wearing some kind of purple, lacy lingerie, god knows where she got that. Byakuya was not immune to the physical desires of man, and although just lingerie itself didn’t really do it for him, he knew what was coming next.

“Huh?” Toko turned her head, and Byakuya could have sworn that he saw her hair stand up on end like a cat. “Oh! Byakuya! You’re home, and you’re home two minutes and-” she checked her computer, “twenty second early! I was hoping we could…” She raised her thumb up to her mouth, and Byakuya watched her bite the tip of it. “You know..”  
“Of course I know,” he replied tersely, but Toko’s enthusiasm didn’t wane, “I’m not carrying you. Your effort is not lost on me, but if you want it, I’m not doing all the work myself.”

“Oh, Master Byakuya,” she giggled dumbly, shutting her laptop and grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket, “That’s all you had to say.” 

He didn’t really have time to process what happened as he was dragged to the bedroom. For someone so much smaller than him, she was shockingly strong, which, admittedly, made him feel a bit inadequate, but he bested her in everything else, so why should he care? He remembered being tossed on their bed, Toko straddling him, and the brief pause in which she waited for his go ahead. He muttered a ‘yes, what are you waiting for?’, and that’s where it started to blur for him. For the both of them. 

Byakuya could, however, sum it up after the fact. Laying in his bed, his shirt draped over his shoulders, while Toko lay shaking and giggling next to him. “That was brief,” he said bluntly. Brief it was- he had figured out what Toko liked long before now, as they had a period in their marriage where it was practically all they did, every waking moment- and he saw no reason why he should stretch it out longer than he really had to. It wasn’t  _ that  _ enjoyable of an experience, anyway, he could certainly live without it. “I take it you didn’t cook dinner and this was some sort of distraction to keep me sated?” He started to sit up, and Toko did the same as soon as she noticed.

“I mean, a little. I cooked it, but it was burnt. You don’t want it. Where are you going? No round two?” she sounded almost teasing. God, if she wanted more, she should have asked before they took a break.

“I’m going to shower. Make yourself useful and change the sheets, or at least shower as well. You’re not sleeping in the bed tonight if you don’t,” Byakuya replied. His shirt fell to the floor as he stepped into the bathroom, ignoring the sudden tension in Toko’s shoulders as he shut the door behind him. He didn’t do anything wrong. He could excuse himself. He was doing what he had to. She would be fine. 

That’s what he told himself, anyway, as he got in the shower, the pounding of drops on the floor and the heat on the water on his skin washing all of his concerns right away with the sweat on his skin. He was a Togami, he was infallible, he was what held his company and their marriage together single handedly- well, that and passionate, but loveless sex. Regardless, he didn’t make mistakes, and he would make sure something in regards to this marriage would work out in his favor. 

When he was dressed after his shower, he expected to find Toko in bed. The bed was made, but she wasn’t there. He couldn’t hear the shower running, either, so she had apparently followed half of his instructions. Once he settled in with a book and clean, silken pajamas, it wasn’t long before he could hear her crying softly from the other bathroom. With a sigh, he stood up, stepped into the doorway, and, with little hesitation, shut the door. It wasn’t his fault she was crying, she can handle herself as a grown adult. It wasn’t his problem, either, he rationalized as he once again climbed into bed, turning off the lights.

Byakuya slept alone that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this is OOC, I'm a Byakuya apologist.


	3. Chapter 3

The day had started out fine. Togami had done his usual routine, making eggs this morning and waking up Toko, who had fallen asleep on the couch, with a kiss on the forehead. His nose wrinkled up as he did; she didn’t end up in bed or in the shower last night, apparently. They ate breakfast across the table from one other in silence, Toko staring at the table the entire time. Byakuya ignored her, scrolling through the morning news on his phone. Once he was done, he put his dishes in the sink, and he left after they exchanged a brief and passionless ‘I love you.’ Work was fine, too, the same as usual. It was when he got home that the problems began.

“God, it’s like you don’t even listen to what I’m sa-saying to you!” Toko was clutching her head in desperation and shaking as she yelled at him. They were in the kitchen again, Toko on her feet, Byakuya in his chair, dinner once again burnt on the counter, and Byakuya couldn’t even remember what they were arguing about. “Maybe, just once, I want to hear you say that you love me o-or that you’re proud of me and mean it!”

“Do something deserving of my praise, and maybe I will. You haven’t done anything remotely useful all week, just sitting around on your ass and writing your romance novels. What do you want me to do, tell you I’m pleased with you for letting me do everything while you leech off my company money?” he replied boredly, staring down at his nails. He needed a manicure again. 

“Y-You’re- You’re not even listening to me now! I have needs, I-I-I have emotions, and it’s not my fault that you don’t!” 

“That’s why we’re having this conversation right now, Fukawa, because your emotions get the better of you and because you’re a child. Hold your hand, wipe your eyes, play mommy and tell you that I need you or something? Sure.”

“A-And there you go again with that shit! That hasn’t been my last name in years, but you can’t stand to have me around or for me to be a p-p-p-”

“Tuh-Tuh, today, junior. Spit it out.”

Toko screamed in frustration, a muffled sound behind her hand. He could see the light bouncing off the tears in her eyes, but, oddly enough, he felt no remorse. “You-You’re a monster, but for a monster to hate me, I ha-have to be so much worse. I’m trash. I deserve this, don’t I, Byakuya?” her voice quivered as she met his eye. “‘Master’ Byakuya? Will calling you that again help? I’ll-I’ll-I’ll be your servant again, garbage like me doesn’t deserve to be on the same level as you. That must be why you’re treating me like this.” Byakuya rolled his eyes. He then held her gaze, staring her down in an effort to even remotely calm her, but that only seemed to make her more frustrated. “Why are you just staring at me?!” 

“You’re pathetic. I’m waiting to see if you can have an adult conversation, or this is all you’re ever going to amount to: a whiny little bitch who can’t stand on her own two feet without the validation of someone else. I’ve met infants with more tact, grace, and maturity than you, and at least they have an excuse for smelling like shit all the time,” Togami stood up, pushing his chair in. “Cry me a river, Toko, I don’t care anymore. If you’re going to act like a child, you can go bawl your eyes out because you got yelled at like one, too,” he started to walk away, feeling Toko’s hand fall onto his shoulder.

“W-Wait, where are you going?” she sniffed, and he slapped her hand away with a ‘tch.’

“Don’t touch me. I can’t stand being in your god forsaken presence anymore, so I’m leaving.” Toko stood frozen behind him while he left, walking right out the door. He just about had it closed to leave with grace when he heard her start to wail, and he sighed, turning back around and looking at her. “Oh, and Toko?”

“Mhm?” she had collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down her face and fists balled up against her chest.

“Cry quieter. You’ll wake the neighbors.” Without another word, Byakuya left the apartment, silently fuming with resentment as he stepped into the cold night air. 

The first thing he noticed was that he forgot his jacket. Being mid-January with snow on the ground, it was bitterly cold outside, and he had never been amazing with anything other than moderate temperatures. The second thing he noticed was that he had also left his keys on the hook. No keys, no jacket, just the wallet and phone in his pocket from work. He groaned softly, banging a fist against his car window. There was no way in hell he was going back in there to face her right now, not after they- after she had acted like that. If she was going to act so childish, he would take it into his own hands to punish her, and this was her punishment. 

He righted himself, figuring he might as well do something to salvage his night, and given that he still hadn’t eaten, it would be best to start with that. He couldn’t drive, but the thought of calling a taxi, or, god forbid, taking the bus, made him shudder. It appeared his only remaining option, then, was to walk. Byakuya certainly wasn’t pleased by this as he headed down the street; this was beneath him, he was a Togami, he could have anything he wanted in the world and more. He must have been glaring unconsciously, because even walking upright and poised as normal, he watched a few other civilians cross to the other side of the road when he noticed him. That didn’t matter. They could make their own decisions, and he would continue to be the powerful man he knew he was.

He ended up trudging through the snow covered sidewalk for a few blocks until he finally made it to a coffee shop he could tolerate. No one ever made it exactly to his taste, but this one was suitable. Unfortunately for him, the first thing he noticed when he walked in is that the shop was slammed. Almost every chair in the shop was filled, and the line was just about out the door. “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” he muttered to himself, but regardless, he headed inside, waited through the entire twenty minute line, and made it up to the counter incredibly irritated.

“Good evening, sir! What can I get for you tonight?” The girl, some teenager, greeted him from the other side. He scoffed.

“Just get me a medium coffee and a sandwich. I don’t have all night, make it quick.”

“...Oookay, sir, what kind of sandwich would you like?” 

“I don’t care, just do your job and tell me how much it is.” The server’s brow furrowed, and they told him the price, which he paid. She muttered something about his order being out in a second, then scurried off to the back of the store. Typical.

Regardless, he got his coffee and a wrapped up sandwich a minute later from a different server. The hot cup felt good on his frozen fingers, and he relished in the feeling for a moment before stepping out of line and taking a glance around the cafe. He managed to spot one open table, halfway across the floor, with two seats at it. Perfect. Some urgency in his step, he walked over to the table, getting through the maze of people and chairs, and as he put his hand on the back of the chair to pull it out-

“Finally!” a man came out of seemingly nowhere, his hand landing on the other chair. He looked up at Byakuya, and Byakuya, stunned, took a second to look him over. He was short, dressed in green, brown hair, hazel eyes, overall quite the boring picture. He was exceedingly average in every way, shape, and form. “Oh… I guess you want this table too, huh?”

“Mmm...hm. And I’m certain I got here first,” Byakuya raised an eyebrow. “If you could step away from my table, then we can both go about our nights.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, totally, take it!” the other man took a step away, putting his hand up in the air. “Finders keepers and all of that! But… we could share if, if you’d like? It’s the only one in the cafe, and there are two seats.”

“I’d rather not. I got here first, so I don’t think you should be the one offering to go halfsies on  _ my  _ table.” As he sat down, Togami took a sip of his drink and cringed. He didn’t remember the coffee here being quite this bitter. The other man seemed to take notice of it, a little grin spreading across his face. 

“Did they forget to tell you that they stopped putting cream or sugar in everyone’s drinks as a default? They moved it all to a cart by the counter.” Now that he mentioned it, he had noticed a little stand over there earlier, but he had been too bothered to pay any mind to it. 

“...It seems they did. Why?”

“I bet I can make you the best coffee you’ve ever had… In exchange for the seat across from you!” His grin broke into a huge smile, one fist clenching in determination. 

Byakuya sighed. “Your determination is obnoxious. Fine. Take it, but if I hate it, you’re buying me a new one.” He noticed a flicker in the man’s face, his confidence momentarily wavering, but he took the cup from Byakuya’s outstretched hand anyway. 

“Done! I’ll be right back!” he watched him disappear into the crowd, losing sight of him after just a moment. He realized that he may have just lost a perfectly good coffee, but for some reason, he doubted that someone like that wouldn’t bring it back. Sure enough, he was back less than a minute later with the cup in his hand. He set it in front of Togami and took a seat across from him. “There you go, one perfect cup of coffee.”

“Tch. Cocky, sitting down before I’ve even gotten a chance to try it,” he replied indignantly, then took a sip of the cup that had been put in front of him. Anyone watching from nearby would have said he went through all five stages of grief in rapid succession. He had truly low expectations going into this, but if he said this wasn’t the best cup of coffee he had drank in his entire life, he would be lying. It was perfect, but lie he did. “...This is… Adequate. A deal’s a deal, I suppose you can stay. How did you do this, exactly?”  
“I kind of just guessed. I’m pretty lucky sometimes,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck gently. “Anyway, thanks! I’ve had a bit of a rough day, it’s nice of you to let me sit there. I’m Makoto Naegi, by the way.” 

“Byakuya Togami, and I as well.” There was a brief lull in the conversation as he took a sip of that magnificent coffee again. “...Are you expecting me to ask about your day?”

“Would you be completely against me talking about it? Let’s talk about yours, first, this is your table.”

“I never said I wanted to talk about it, did I?” Makoto went to say something, but Byakuya quickly interrupted. “I never said I wouldn’t, either. Don’t start talking, I had a bad day, too, wait your turn.” When he didn’t try to talk again, he continued. “...I got into a fight with the girl I live with. She was acting childish, so I called her on it, and now she’s mad at me like I did something wrong. She’s the one that burnt dinner every night this week while I do everything for her, and she knows work can be stressful, not like she has any personal experience with having a real job.”

“Well, were you nice when you, er… called her on it?” Makoto asked. Byakuya shot him a glare, and Makoto took a sip from his own cup instead. “Geez, sorry I asked.”

“You weren’t there, it’s not entirely your fault that you’re ignorant. I guess you can talk about your day now, I’m done.”

“But you didn’t… Nevermind. Sure. To be honest with you, getting your coffee right was the only really lucky thing I did all day. I hit my head on some low hanging beam this morning, so I’ve got a bump right under my hair, I’m like, two seconds away from being fired, and on top of all of that, I dropped my wallet in the sewer grate walking over here. Kinda needed the lift, you know? No car, decided I would get a coffee and walk home with the money I had left.” As Makoto spoke, Byakuya stared at him blankly, his eyes subtly scanning over his face. Now that he actually got a good look at him, despite being boring, he wasn’t all that awful to look at. Not in a gay way, though, he tacked on subconsiously- how could it be, he had sex with a woman just yesterday. He hadn’t, however, noticed that Makoto had stopped talking. “Uh… Hello? Earth to Togami? It’s kind of weird for you to just stare at me like that.”

“...Ah!” Byakuya snapped out of it, looking back down at the table. “Sorry. Lost in thought. Bad day, lost your wallet, sure. Were you nice to the wallet when you dropped it?”

“That… doesn’t even make sense,” he cocked his head to the side, grinning. “Are you okay? Are you sure you don’t just want me to leave or something?”

“No. I feel like it might be better if I have company right now. This is for my benefit, though, not because I’m even remotely concerned about yours.”

“Riiight. That’s super nice of you to say. So… Anything else about you? Do you like anything or are you just kinda bitter?”

“I’m not ‘just kinda bitter.’ I have personality.”

“Oh, yeah?” he teased. “Like what?” Byakuya, never one to turn down a challenge, and much to his surprise, told him. He just talked, and he talked, he took Makoto’s questions, and he only really stopped talking when he was out of breath or when Makoto had something to say. Even then, he still interrupted him, but he noticed that it certainly wasn’t as much as he interrupted Toko. He told him his favorite color (which he didn’t even know he had), he told him about the company in brief, and after a while, he had loosened up plenty to him and was even laughing at a joke that Makoto had made at his expense. He barely even noticed the passage of time until he looked down at his watch. 

“It’s almost ten at night,” Byakuya glanced out the window to see that it was completely dark out by now. “Huh. What time did we come in here again?”

“Seven, I think?” all the food was long eaten, that perfect coffee that Makoto had made for him completely gone, and as Togami looked around, he noticed that the cafe had cleared out considerably. The servers were closing down for the night. “Geez, I think we’ve overstayed our welcome a little… I wanna give you something before I leave, hold on,” Makoto took a second to rummage through his pockets, then triumphantly pulled out a pen and a scrap of paper. Looking pleased with himself, he wrote something down on it and slid it to Byakuya. “This was fun! Here’s my number. You’re kinda mean, but maybe we could do this again sometime.”

Byakuya was stunned. On one hand, that sounded oddly like a date. Was this a date, is that what Makoto had considered this the entire time? On the other hand, he had a great time, the best he had probably had in months… so, he reached out and took the slip of paper off the table, pocketing it. In exchange, he pulled one hundred dollars from his wallet and set it on the table. Makoto’s eyes went huge.

“You don’t have to pay me for anything, you know. I’m giving you my number willingly.”

“I know. Get yourself a taxi or something, it’s dark and it’s cold.”

“Really, Togami, I can’t accept this, this is your money, and…” 

“And, what? It’s not enough? Are taxis really that expensive? I’m going to be offended if you don’t take it, Naegi, I will burn your number right in front of you.”

Makoto sighed, begrudgingly taking the cash off the table and slipping it into his pocket. “You sure are stubborn, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been told as much. Goodnight, Naegi. Maybe I’ll text you, if I feel like it.” That earned him a laugh from Makoto, and Byakuya felt an unfamiliar flutter in his stomach. 

“Yeah, whatever. Goodnight, Togami,” Makoto gave him a little wave as he left the cafe, the bell on the door jingling right behind him. Byakuya watched him get into a taxi from the window, running his thumb along the edge of his cup. When he saw him get into the car, safe and sound, he couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved. The ‘why’ part was eluding him, though. He had just met this man, and they had only talked for three hours, at maximum, how could he possibly care about his safety? 

Byakuya tried to clear his mind on the walk home, but he was still thinking about how nice the companionship was. Sure, he could get that from Toko, but she was… different. She was Toko, and she would always be Toko, no matter how much he resented that. He hardly noticed the snow falling onto his hair and shoulders as he trudged home, pleased to find the door unlocked. He was unconsciously humming a tune as he entered, kicking the snow off of his boots and dusting off his clothes before it could all melt. Toko was in the living room, phone held close to her face, but she lowered it when she heard Byakuya come in. She didn’t say anything, just stared until Byakuya curled his lip and spoke. “Don’t stare at me like that, know your place. You aren’t forgiven.” 

Toko cringed. “Sorry, Byakuya,” she muttered, turning back to her phone.

“You better be,” came his curt reply as he went to their room. He went through his normal nightly routine, showering and changing before climbing into bed. Toko, once again, didn’t join him, but somehow, it felt lonelier tonight. Companionship, the cold, he didn’t know, but nothing really stopped him from putting Makoto’s number in his phone and texting him before he went to sleep. ‘We’ll meet at the coffee shop again on Saturday at noon. Don’t be late, I want my coffee fresh and adequate.’ Makoto’s text in return came a couple seconds later.

‘Okay! See you then! :]’

With that alone, somehow, some way, Byakuya’s cold heart felt just a little bit warmer, and in contentment, even though his wife was outside suffering and doing god knows what, he could sleep better than he had in a long while. 


	4. Chapter 4

Toko didn’t feel alright anymore. She was hyperventilating, heart in her throat, about ready to throw it up all over the living room carpet. She couldn’t do that, though; it would just be another reason for Byakuya’s suspicions to be right about her. Useless, useless, useless, incapable of doing anything to contribute to the household. She could write an equal, happy, critically acclaimed romance, but at the cost that she wasn’t deserving of one herself. She didn’t know how long she spent on the floor after he left their apartment- his apartment, as he told her, since he paid for it- but by the time she got up, she had a headache and her sleeves were soaked with tears and snot. Her clothes were wrinkled, and the smell of burnt food from the kitchen had all but faded to nothing. Byakuya was gone, but she remained. He was moving on, maybe even sleeping with another woman, but here she was, shaking and snivelling just like he had guessed. 

Skin crawling and clothes sticking all over from her tears, Toko felt downright uncomfortable. It’s the same way she usually felt after sex or any other argument they had, so it wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling, but it wasn’t one she liked very much. It was the feeling of being uncomfortable in her own body, like she was responsible for every bad thing in the world. She hated it. She believed it, but she hated it. Usually, she fixed that by sitting down and writing in an effort to make something happy, but looking over at her spot on the couch, worn in from use next to Byakuya’s empty and perfectly clean seat, she decided that she couldn’t stand to be there right now. There was oneplace, though, that was completely untouched by his presence: the bookstore. She slid her coat on and started out the door, laptop under her arm, noting her husband’s keys on the hook, but not taking them. 

The nearest bookstore was right down the street from their apartment. They were always the first people to put Toko’s novels on the shelf, usually as an exclusive book a month before their release to the rest of the stores. Because of this, Byakuya had never stepped foot in it before. Each rejection to go with her or to read what she had written snapped her heart into little pieces, and each mockery of the writing that he did read stomped and spit on it, but in times like this, she was happy to have something that she cared about that was all her own. 

The warmth in the store was welcome, as was the dim lighting, and she settled into one of the many armchairs once she got there. One of the employees greeted her, and she gave a half-assed reply as she opened her computer to find a completely blank page. Right. She was working on her newer novel this morning and had never gotten anything done. She had ideas in mind, she always did, but she had no idea what she wanted the new characters to be like or where to start. She sighed, shutting her computer again and heading over to her own books. She knew where they were by heart, and she might as well see what she had already done and if she could derive anything from that.

As Toko stepped into the aisle, she noticed a girl, right at her shelf. The girl had one of her more recent books in hand, and Toko couldn’t help but panic, taking a step back around the other side of the shelf. This had never happened before. She knew people read her books, obviously, they were pretty popular, but she hadn’t seen anyone actually pick one up. Besides, that girl was pretty, she probably had some sort of stable relationship and didn’t need Toko’s romance novels to get by, unlike her. Regardless, she wasn’t dealing with this today. She went back to her chair, reopening her computer, and starting to type. 

Not long after Toko started writing, frustratedly typing and retyping similar lines, she felt like she was being watched. She glanced up over the edge of her computer only to see the girl from earlier. As soon as she met her gaze, the other girl’s eyes went wide and she ducked back into the aisle. Toko scoffed, curling up into a tighter ball in the chair. “Must be so disgusted by me, staring at me like that while I’m just minding my own business..” she muttered, fingers flying across the keyboard. “She could at least come over here and tell me outright that I nauseate her.”

Not long after, Toko felt a pair of eyes on her again, and sure enough, the girl was standing in the same spot as last time, looking between Toko and the book in her hands with a particularly shocked expression on her face. Toko rolled her eyes and shut her computer, starting to get up. “Oh, this is ridiculous!” she said to herself. She was just about to head out the door, when, from behind her, she heard a ‘wait!’ Giving a second’s pause, Toko sighed and turned around, coming face to face with the girl.

“Hey, would you happen to be Toko Fukawa?” The girl asked, holding Toko’s book to her chest. She recognized the cover; in addition, she would have to fire whoever was drawing her covers right now, they weren’t very accurate. 

“Yes, I am. What’s it to you, did you want to come over here and tell me that I look awful, or that I’m so re-repulsive that I shouldn’t be in a public space.”

“Uh…. no? I just recognized you off of your book,” she flipped it around, and sure enough, she pointed to Toko’s picture. “I’ve never met an author before, I think that’s cool, especially with how many books you have over there!”

“...Oh. Thanks, I guess,” Toko looked down. Maybe she had overreacted a bit. 

“No problem! So, what’s it about? I didn’t plan on getting a book other than the textbook I needed today, but since I saw the author of this one here, I might as well try it out.”

“...It’s romance. I write romance,” Toko looked over the cover for a moment, “That one is about two girls who get stuck in the apocalypse together and have to find their way back home, falling in love with each other on the way.”

“That sounds interesting! I’m not big on romance, but maybe I’ll give it a read. You seem pretty neat, so I bet your books are, too.” The girl tucked the book under her arm, right alongside her textbook. “Well, I’ll let you go now. Sorry to bother you!”   
“I-It’s fine… here,” Toko held out her hand. “Give me your arm, I’ll write an email on it for you to send your review in when you’re done with it, if you think it’s worth your time or anything.” The other girl raised an eyebrow, but didn’t argue. Toko pulled a sharpie out of her jacket pocket, uncapping it with her teeth and carefully writing her work email on the girl’s arm. Once she was done, she put the cap back on and put it back in her pocket. “There. Have fun.”

“Thanks!” she took a quick second to blow on her arm, trying to get the ink to dry. 

“No problem, or whatever. Have a nice night,” Toko turned to walk away again, heading for the door.

“You too, oh, and Ms. Fukawa?” 

Toko sighed, turning back to her. “What? I’m kinda busy.”

“I just wanted to say that you look really pretty. You’re not repulsive at all,” the girl said, then, humming to herself, walked off without another word. Toko stood there for a moment, her face slowly but surely turning pink, before grumbling a ‘gee, thanks,’ and walking out of the store. The entire walk home, ‘you look really pretty’ was all that played through her mind. Toko didn’t like girls like that… did she? She wrote about them a lot, but that’s because it was her job. After all, she was in love with Byakuya. She idolized him, and she had for years. They were married, for Christ’s sake! Still, though, that feeling in her chest kept her warm all the way home. She managed to get there, sit down, and finally, finally start writing about a girl in a bookstore with dark brown hair and green eyes and a gorgeous smile, and she felt truly at peace for the first time that day.

She didn’t keep track of how long it took Byakuya to get home, her computer having long since died and her then switching to her phone to write. She peered over the top of the screen, only for Byakuya to give her the meanest sneer he had all day. “Don’t stare at me like that, know your place. You aren’t forgiven.” She felt her whole body go tense, her face contorting in discomfort. He had every right to talk to her like that, especially after she had even entertained the thought of liking another woman earlier.

“Sorry, Byakuya.” She was apologizing for everything. For the fight, for burning dinner, for not being pretty enough or good enough for him, for the bookstore earlier, which he didn’t even know about, and despite the fact that she verbalized that apology, his own reply of ‘you better be’ was cold and dissatisfied. 

Toko was once again shaken and upset as he slunk off to their bedroom, and Toko would not be joining him again tonight. She hadn’t in a while, they didn’t sleep very well together to begin with and Byakuya usually just ended up complaining. She climbed onto the couch, draping her blanket over her shoulders and setting her phone across from her. She opened her email, and, seeing that there was nothing there, found herself to be a little disappointed. She’d get back to her, wouldn’t she? Not tonight, but when she was done. That didn’t stop Toko from checking her email each time she woke up from her fitful sleep that night, wishing desperately for the validation that she knew, deep down, that she deserved. 


	5. Chapter 5

The three months after meeting Makoto Naegi were some of the best of Byakuya’s life, at least that he could remember. It may have been that he was spending less time with Toko, or the fact that Toko had suddenly decided to be a little less stalker-ish, or maybe he truly liked being around Makoto. No, he knew he liked being around Makoto. He had known that for months, and although he wasn’t really ready to admit it to himself aloud, he was in love with him, more so than he ever had been with any woman he had ever been with.

He figured it out after their second date. Makoto, when they met up again, had been calling it a date to everyone else, so Togami just accepted that it had accidentally been a date between the two of them. It seemed fair, they had talked for two hours. They ended up at the very same coffee shop, but not for nearly as long as last time. They instead headed to Makoto’s place after a snide comment from Byakuya, saying that he could make a better dinner than Makoto could, even if he could make decent coffee. 

Dinner didn’t end up working out in Byakuya’s favor. Makoto seemed intent on winning, and although he would tell him where some things were, he wouldn’t tell him where the rest were. Byakuya couldn’t figure out how to use Makoto’s microwave (it wasn’t like his own, so he felt it fair, but Makoto still made fun of him, even now), and what food he managed to come up with was dry and completely unseasoned. Luckily, Makoto could cook better than he could, and although bitter at losing, he had fun doing that with him. When he feigned annoyance at his loss, refusing to eat the food Makoto set in front of him. Makoto, in return, called him a baby and fed him off of his fork. Byakuya, albeit hesitant at first, wasn’t all that displeased by the spoiling, but he eventually did take his own fork and ate his own food. 

One thing led to another after dinner, and they ended up in Makoto’s bed, bodies intertwined in the best sex that Byakuya had ever had. It was different than being with Toko. Makoto was softer, not in body, but his embraces and movements were much smoother, much more welcoming. It felt nicer, too, and unlike being with her, he enjoyed himself outside of physical pleasure alone. Once they were done, his head resting on Makoto’s chest, Makoto’s chin on his head as he carded his fingers through his hair, Makoto finally said something with a light chuckle. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done this on the second date, huh?”

“...I think it’s fine. I enjoyed myself,” Byakuya replied, snuggling closer to Makoto and taking his hand. “It was… adequate.”

“Are you going to say that about everything I do that you like?” Byakuya looked up at the shorter man, blue eyes meeting hazel, and at the serene smile on Makoto’s face, he felt a feeling of comfort, of warmth, wash over him, one that seemed to be present whenever he was around Makoto. There was, of course, the usual hesitance in meeting someone new, the initial disdain of change, and the need for superiority… but Makoto calmed him, somehow, and be it lust, love, or something in between, he wanted to keep it that way. He wanted to tell him that. He wanted to tell him that he wanted to spend his life or until they were both sick of each other like this. He wanted to keep this perfect feeling, all to himself.

Instead, though, Byakuya gave him a little smirk and put his head back against Makoto’s chest, listening to the soothing thump of his heart as he shut his eyes. “I’ll tell you that you aren’t a total waste of my time, but otherwise, yes, Makoto Naegi, your actions are adequate enough. You should feel lucky that you get even that.” 

Byakuya picked up on a few other things in the time he spent with Makoto. He figured out that Makoto didn’t actually like coffee, he seriously just got lucky on their first date, and that his luck did truly tend to range from incredible, almost magical, to downright bad. He once watched him talk about how he had managed to save his phone from cracking that morning by catching it with a foot, then drop the same phone in the lake they were walking by all in the same breath. He learned that Makoto’s fashion sense was atrocious, but that was no shock given that he was wearing a denim vest over a jacket when they first met. In addition, after spending plenty of time at Makoto’s apartment for dinners, movies, and more hookups (which he was really starting to grow fond of), he learned that he had what he assumed to be a wife. There were plenty of pictures of them around their apartment, the girl with the dark brown hair and Makoto, but he never asked about her. He never told Makoto about Toko, although he did take solace that they were at least cheating on their wives together. Makoto’s wife never seemed to be home, which often served as a convenience to the both of them. They avoided labels, and for now, Togami was fine with being just a friend with benefits, especially when he knew he had been good enough for Makoto to cheat with.

Toko, though, was busy with the other Naegi almost constantly. Only a few days after her encounter with the girl from the bookstore, she got an email from ‘Naegi0531’. Toko had been checking her email religiously for days, so much so that Byakuya had been berating her for picking up her phone so often. She cared, of course, but she couldn’t just ignore the girl if she happened to say something.

When the email finally did come in, Toko was thrilled. Apparently, so was Naegi, which was all she introduced herself as in the email, because she had loved the book, ‘much to her surprise.’ Toko tried not to be offended by that part. She had apparently gotten incredibly attached to one of the characters and found herself relating to the main protagonist, and she had a list of questions compiled to ask Toko, since she was the author. She proposed a video call, and she had emailed both to tell her some of what she thought about the book, because ‘she had a lot of thoughts and couldn’t write them all down’, and to see what time was best for her. Toko, hands shaking, replied around 3pm (when Byakuya was still at work) tomorrow would be perfect. 

She didn’t get another email from Naegi until the next day. Toko’s head had been swimming with a fear of abandonment all night and into the next morning, until finally, finally, she heard the call notification on her laptop go off. She practically flung herself on top of it to answer, and when she did, she was face to face with the other girl once again, but this time, she was clutching Toko’s book to her chest, and Toko could practically see the stars in her eyes. She barely had to give her the go-ahead to talk about what she wanted before Naegi started firing off questions, thoughts, and headcanons all at top speed. The gratification Toko felt all at once was dizzying, like nothing she had ever felt with Byakuya- or anyone else, for that matter- and she was coming to enjoy that feeling. 

After that first call, Toko was trying to sneak in time to talk to the girl- who, after a while, she learned was named Komaru- as often as she could. Conveniently, almost a little too conveniently, Byakuya started working later and later, and he became much more dismissive of whatever she had to do or say. While she was relieved by this, she almost wished that Byakuya would take interest in her again, if only to berate her. Their video calls eventually turned into actually hanging out with one another. They’d meet up in bookstores and restaurants and just enjoy each other's presence, talking about nothing in particular and everything they could think of just to be together. 

Toko didn’t really know what it was, but she felt comfortable with Komaru. Not like she could spill everything to her, of course, but she could be honest and she didn’t have to try to win her attention all the time. Being around Komaru was a relief, and it wasn’t one that she felt often. One night, while Byakuya was gone, Toko on her back with her laptop laying beside her, she didn’t know what came over her. She started telling Komaru everything. She talked about how she fell in love with Byakuya, how he treated her, the fight that led her to the bookstore, she didn’t leave anything up to the imagination. Komaru was silent once she was done, and Toko was worried that she had scared her off, but not even a minute later, Komaru did say something.

“Sorry, I needed a second to process that. Uh… your emotions are completely valid, Toko. I can’t really relate to whatever you’re going through, but this Byakuya guy doesn’t sound too good for you. I think you’re pretty neat, and that you could do better.”

“But I love him, Komaru,” Toko rolled over to face the computer, “I love him more than I love writing or anything else, I think. I’ve had him for so long, I don’t know what I would do to myself if something were to ha-happen. He’s around less and less, and… I’m scared.”

There was another silence as Komaru, face illuminated only by the blue light of her own computer, looked down at her keyboard for a moment. She looked back up again, smiling. “Well… If something happens, we’ll find out together! I’ll be there for you, Toko! You can always reach out to me!”

“...Thanks, Komaru.” Although Toko kept her response brief, she could feel that now familiar warmth flooding her chest again, soothed enough to finally calm down and think. “Do you wanna hear about the plot of my next book?”

“Oooh, yes!” That call ended up lasting all night after that. Toko fell asleep at one point on call, she couldn’t remember if it was during or after describing her new novel, but she noticed that the call was still running when she woke up in the middle of the night, Komaru snoring softly on the other line. Twirling her hair around her finger, she just stared at the other until she managed to drift off again. The last thought she remembered having was just how pretty the other girl was, and just how nice it was to feel safe sleeping next to someone.

The current state of affairs, though, was not entirely sunshine and rainbows. Toko and Byakuya’s fights had become more frequent in the more recent weeks, and they could both feel the storm clouds brewing above them right in their very kitchen. They hadn’t slept in the same room as each other in a good while, and every time Byakuya was home if he wasn’t ‘sleeping at the office for the night’, Toko had either been attached to his hip or locked in a different room, furious with him for some reason or another. While Toko was worried about the state of their marriage, Byakuya was simply getting sick of being around her. In addition to that, Toko had been considering if Byakuya, or if men at all, were right for her. She loved him, and she wanted their marriage to work, but after spending some time with Komaru and seeing just how nice women could be… 

They sat now, around their dinner table, in silence. Toko had burnt the food again, but it was still edible and neither of them had eaten that day, so they were eating it. He was astounded that she had somehow managed to both burn food and keep the inside raw. That, however, was not what his mind was on at the moment. He was thinking about Makoto. His eyes, his hair, everything they had done last night…

“So, how was your day, my darling?” Toko asked, and almost immediately, Byakuya set his fork down with a somewhat aggravated sigh.

“Toko, I want a divorce. I don’t like being around you and I love someone else more.” He noticed the horror on her face immediately, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel any remorse. If she was shocked by this, that was her problem, not his. 

Toko’s world, meanwhile, had immediately come crashing down around her. “Wh-What? I-I-I thought we were fine, Byakuya, you’ve been… you’ve been ch-ch… you’ve been cheating on me?”

“Fine? You think we’re doing fine? You must be dumber than I thought. I hate you. You annoy me to no end and I wish I had just waited until I found someone better to marry to get my company position.” Toko laughed anxiously, and she started rocking back and forth in her chair. Her hands went up to her arms, hugging herself, and he could see the tears starting to form. He rolled his eyes. “Oh, for god’s sake, Fukawa, what?”

“You are such an asshole,” she muttered, slouching down a bit further in her chair. She was shaking now. “Such a goddamn asshole, Togami, I try to give you everything I can only for you to throw it back in my face because y-you never saw me as an equal.”

“You’re right. You’re more like a ferret with attachment issues than a person.”

“Oh, f-fuck you!” Toko snapped, looking back up at him again, “I wasn’t cheating on you, because unlike you, I have feelings, and I loved you, but god, you’re always going to be like this, aren’t you? At least Naegi treats me like I’m human, tells me I have value. Maybe I’ll run off and take Naegi instead.”

Byakuya froze in place, the fork that had been so calmly held in his grasp falling to the table. She couldn’t be talking about his Naegi, his Makoto, could she? Maybe it was a common last name, but… Damn. If Makoto would cheat with him, he would cheat on him, too. That wouldn’t happen. “No, you won’t.”

“An-And what’s stopping me? Our marriage?”

“I am,” Togami stood up, setting his jaw. “I’m going to go make sure you can’t get what you want, Fukawa, and while I’m gone, I expect you to move out of  _ my  _ apartment before ten tonight. No exceptions. I’d wish you a nice life, but you’ve encroached too much on mine for me to believe that you have one of your own.” For once, Toko didn’t say anything as he left. He couldn’t hear crying, nor did he even see her move as he grabbed his phone, jacket, and keys. His hand resting on the doorknob, he uttered one final statement to her. “...I hope you rot, Toko Fukawa.” 


	6. Chapter 6

It was warmer than the last time Byakuya had left his wife- now ex-wife- broken on the ground of his apartment. It could have just been the April weather, or it could have been the rage that was threatening to bubble over in his stomach. Who the hell did Toko think she was, going after  _ his  _ Makoto? At the same time, though, he felt such relief that after tonight, he wouldn’t have to deal with any of the transgressions against his comfort, his personal space, or his character after tonight. Phone in hand, he climbed into the driver’s seat of his car, sent Makoto a text, and booked a reservation for the nicest restaurant he could think of before driving off immediately after. ‘I’m on my way over right now. Be ready as soon as I get there, we’re going out to dinner, we have reservations, and I don’t want to be kept waiting. Dress nice.’ He heard the text chime go off a few times as he drove, but didn’t look at it until he got to a stoplight, and even then, he only glanced at his phone.

‘What’s going on???’ followed by, ‘Is something wrong?’ and then, ‘How nice of a restaurant?’ Byakuya smirked to himself. Oh, he was so cute when he played dumb. When he arrived at Naegi’s apartment building, his lover was already sitting outside in the single most atrocious outfit Byakuya had ever seen him in. Makoto was wearing his normal jacket over a button up shirt, and a brown and white striped one, at that. In addition to that, he was wearing beat up red tennis shoes and black jeans. He looked almost nervous as he got in the car, fidgeting with the collar of his shirt. Byakuya sighed. He could admit that the text he had sent had been rather concerning, but to give himself some credit, he wasn’t in a very good mood to begin with. “Byakuya, hey, did something happen?”

Byakuya ignored his question entirely. “I see that even when I tell you specifically to dress nice, you still can’t seem to find a sense of fashion, Naegi, how disappointing. Seems we’ll have to go buy you something to match that handsome face of yours.”

“I- Is that a compliment or an insult?” Togami just shrugged in response as he started to drive, heading towards one of his favorite clothing stores. “Anyway, aren’t you just wearing your work clothes?”

“I wear a suit to work, so therefore, I am dressed ‘nice’. With the restaurant we’re going to, they wouldn’t even let you in.” 

“Suits aren’t the only nice clothing item, you know,” he muttered.   
“Are you saying that you would rather wear a dress? Or that you would rather me be wearing one? I’m not opposed to either idea, but if that’s the case, you need to tell me now so I can go to a different store.”   
“No, no, that’s fine! Just… can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Maybe later. We’re already here,” Byakuya replied, climbing out of his car after he parked. Makoto followed him out, and as soon as he had caught up, Byakuya’s hands were on his shoulders, steering him inside. “What size are you, a medium?” He could see Makoto’s cheeks go a bit red, even from the angle he was at. 

“Usually a small, but c’mon, is this really necessary? We could have just picked something out of my closet,” he protested. The second they were inside, Byakuya started setting things in Makoto’s hands from racks, expertly picking out item after item. 

“I’m not convinced that you own any clothing that I wouldn’t rather shred than see on a human being. Now, go try all of those on. I’ll be waiting out here,” he pushed Makoto to the fitting rooms, who tried to protest until Byakuya shut the door in his face. He could hear the shorter man grumbling to himself as he sat down on the bench outside of the rooms, but after a few seconds, he did hear his jeans unzip and the snapping of buttons being undone. His cooperation pleased Togami, and he allowed himself a moment of pride while he waited.

A few minutes later, Makoto stepped out of the dressing room in what had been selected for him. A green tie, black suspenders, black pants, leather shoes, and a dark grey button up to replace the ugly one, he looked positively dashing, and it took everything Byakuya had in him not to react emotionally. “Byakuya, this looks nice and all, but I really don’t have the money to pay for something this expensive. Is this seriously all you wear?”

“You should know the answer to that question by now. Besides, I like how that looks on you, so I’ll be covering it. Just stay in it, they’ll let me buy it while you’re wearing it.” Makoto grabbed his other clothes, sighing, and Byakuya curled his lip. “You can really just leave those here to burn, if you’d like.”

“No, I wouldn’t like that,” Makoto’s hand slipped into his as he started pulling Byakuya gently towards the register, and Byakuya could feel the breath get caught in his throat. Noticing this, the other man paused, turning to look back at him. “Seriously, are you okay?”

“...I’m not used to the hand holding. It’s not unwelcome, just unexpected,” he squeezed Makoto’s hand just a little bit tighter as he went up to the register, setting his card on the counter. The cashier immediately got to work ringing up everything on Makoto. 

Makoto chuckled. “Really? You’re shy about that, but not the rest of the stuff we’ve done together?”

“We’re in public, Naegi, I would prefer if you kept comments like that to yourself,” Byakuya cast him a glare, which only served to make Makoto laugh harder. Receipt in one hand, his side piece in the other, he rolled his eyes and started out of the store. 

“There’s gotta be something else wrong other than the hand holding, right? I mean, what’s with the urgency?” Togami didn’t answer him as they got back in the car, nor did he as he started to drive away. “...Byakuya? Come on, don’t ignore me.” Silence. “I promise I won’t be mad if you just tell me now. I won’t laugh at you, either… Well, I may laugh a little. You’re kind of cute when you’re mad, like a cockatoo that didn’t get its way, y’know?”

“Patronizing, Naegi, very patronizing.” Without another word, he flipped on the radio, and each time Makoto tried to speak over the jazz that was blaring out of the car speakers, Byakuya would only turn the music up louder and louder to drown him out. Eventually, and much to his frustration, Makoto huffed and turned to the window, giving up on communicating, at least for now. Byakuya was relieved, to say the least; he was getting sick of all the questions, and he wasn’t really ready to answer them. He just wanted to have a nice night with the man he had refused to put a label on for months and might be losing to his stalker wife, all while asking him to leave his wife as well so they can be together. Was that so much to ask? 

Togami started to drag Makoto inside again once they arrived at his restaurant of choice, some upscale place owned by a famous chef by the name of Hanamura. Byakuya had never met him personally- he heard he was a sleaze, he didn’t need another pervert in his life- but he knew the food was good, and the atmosphere would be decent for trying to win Makoto over by any means necessary. Toko certainly couldn’t do this, he thought to himself. Without his money, Toko couldn’t do anything but the whole ‘starving artist’ gimmick. Their reservations already in order, they were seated immediately, sitting across a booth from one another. Wines picked out beforehand by Byakuya were set out in front of them, soft music played live from nearby, and the lighting cast the perfect shadows over Makoto’s face. Despite the look of worry, he looked incredibly attractive, and Byakuya could barely take his eyes off of him to look down at the menu. “What do you think you’ll get?”

“...I haven’t looked at the menu yet, but probably chicken strips,” Byakuya could hear that he was fuming, but elected to ignore it for now. He looked up to see Makoto staring down at his folded hands, his menu left untouched. 

“Makoto, they serve five course meals here. Get real food, you don’t have to pay for any of it. You won’t be ordering that crap here.” Makoto pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything else. When the waiter came over, Byakuya recited the same order he always did here, all five courses, and turned back to his partner. “Well? Tell them, Naegi.” He then noticed that Makoto had barely touched his menu and had gone back to staring at the table, seemingly lost in thought until spoken to again.

“Oh, huh? Sorry. Chicken strips.”

“For Christ’s sake. He won’t be having chicken strips. Just get him the same thing I got.” The waiter gave a little bow and walked away, leaving Byakuya to turn back to Makoto. “What is your problem right now?”

“What’s my problem? What’s your problem, Togami?” Makoto snapped, meeting his eye with a bit of a glare. Byakuya recoiled. Makoto had never looked at him like that, not ever with even a hint of malice in his face. He seemed to notice Byakuya’s shock, and he relaxed himself, sighing. “Sorry, it’s just… You keep ignoring me. I want to know what’s going on, and you’re treating me like some kind of kid. It’s annoying.”

“Then why don’t we just talk about something else? I don’t want to talk about why I texted you like that right now. I have a proposal for you, but that’s next. That’s for the next part of the date.”

“Next part?” Makoto sighed exasperatedly. “Byakuya, I have work tomorrow. I can’t stay out all night. Can we please just do this here?”

“No, Makoto, I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Let’s just have a nice dinner and I’ll address it when we’re done.”

“Then we’re not talking. I can’t just ignore whatever’s going on right now, it clearly needs to be addressed.”

“Fine. Dinner in silence, then.” Makoto looked shocked for a moment, eyes going wide and his jaw dropping, but he quickly steeled himself. 

“Fine.” 

And so, the two of them proceeded with a silent dinner. The food arrived, and they ate all five courses. Byakuya was bitter that he wasn’t getting fed off of Makoto’s fork again, or vice versa, but it was almost worth it when he saw just how satisfied Makoto looked with each bite he took. The way the corners of his mouth twitched and his eyes crinkled up right before he went in for another bite was intoxicating for Byakuya, it was so adorable to him, but it just wasn’t the same when Makoto wasn’t animatedly telling him how good it was. He managed to keep himself quiet during the entire dinner, no matter how badly he wanted to tell Makoto to finish his thought whenever he opened and abruptly closed his mouth to voice a thought that never came out. Once they were done, Byakuya paid for their meal in full; Makoto didn’t even try to reach for the bill until after Byakuya had set it down, and when he looked at it, he slid a few more dollars into it. Whatever they were thinking, neither of them called the other one on it.

As they stepped out into the parking lot, hand in hand, Byakuya could feel the beginnings of rain starting to drip and soak through his shirt, and he shivered, pressing his shoulder against Makoto’s. “Come on. I’m not trying to get wet out here.” When Makoto didn’t budge, Byakuya frowned and tugged his arm. “Seriously, come on.”

Makoto’s hand slipped out of Byakuya’s. He crossed his arms, leaving the other’s arm hanging in the air for a moment before he decided to let it fall at his side. “Since we finished dinner, this is the next part of the date. I’m not getting in the car until you tell me what’s going on.”

“Makoto, it’s raining, there’s no need for you to be so stubborn about-”

“No, Togami, there’s no need for you to be so stubborn about this!” Byakuya’s shoulders went up defensively as Makoto started yelling at him. Why was he yelling? “You’re pulling this grand gesture, you’re spending money on me, we just ate dinner in silence, and you still refuse to tell me what it’s all for! You’re freaking me out, and I’m worried about you!”

Byakuya could feel his hair starting to flatten against his face and head, and he could feel himself beginning to shake. When was the last time someone had yelled at him? That night, obviously, but someone who mattered to him? It was nerve wracking. He never took criticism well to begin with, and he wasn’t sure he could take it from someone he actually cared about. Still, though, he gritted his teeth, trying his best to keep himself from visibly shaking in front of Makoto. “Just get in the car, Naegi. We’re not having this conversation in a parking lot, that’s tacky.” 

“Keys.” 

“What?”

“Give me your keys, Byakuya. I’ll get in the car, but I’m not going to let you drive off and turn on the radio again so you can ignore me. I’m not mean enough to make you stand here and catch a cold.” Makoto’s hand was outstretched in front of him, waiting. Damn his considerateness. Byakuya begrudgingly dropped his car keys into Makoto’s hand, and Makoto grabbed him by the sleeve, pulling him to the car. Byakuya went to get into the driver’s seat, but he found that door was locked when he tried to open it. “Backseat. C’mon.”

“The backseat? What are we, teenagers?” Byakuya snorted, but regardless, he climbed in, soaking wet. “Ugh, water on my leather seats…”

“It’ll dry. Can you please stop insulting everything around you, for once?” Makoto shut the door behind them, sliding the keys into his pocket. “Now, what’s going on?”

“...Well, I never said I was telling you here. Just that I wasn’t having this conversation in the parking lot.”

Makoto sighed heavily, pulling his feet up on the seat and turning to Byakuya. “Hey, look at me?” Looking first at Makoto’s feet and visibly cringing, then at him, his bitter expression was met with Makoto’s warm, welcoming one. “I promise I’m not going to be mad, whatever it is. You can stop acting like such an ass about it, and then we can go home, put on dry clothes, and cuddle. Okay?” Byakuya went to protest again, but Makoto’s hands slid into his again, squeezing them gently. It wouldn’t get any better if he put it off, would it?

“...I want you to leave your wife and be my boyfriend instead, Makoto.” Makoto’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head, and his grip on Byakuya’s hands loosened, going almost limp. “Oh, don’t look so shocked. You keep pictures of her all around your apartment, we’re both cheating on our wives, and since I’ve decided I don’t love mine anymore, it’s only fair that you confess to yours that you’ve found someone else.” The silence in the car for the next several moments was deafening. The gears in Makoto’s head were clearly working overtime, and Byakuya was starting to get fidgety in his seat. “What?! Spit it out, answer me already!” 

“I… Byakuya, that’s a lot to unpack. Where am I even supposed to start with that?” Makoto broke eye contact with him, looking down at their interlocked fingers. Byakuya wasn’t happy with Makoto starting to pull away, but he didn’t stop him. “Have I been the ‘other woman’ for you this entire time?”

“Well, yes, but I have been for you as well, haven’t I?” 

“No. No, you haven’t. The girl in the pictures around my house- Byakuya, that’s my  _ sister,  _ not my wife. Her name is Komaru, we share the rent. You’re married?”

“Unfortunately. I had to marry someone in order to gain my position in my company, so I… married my high school stalker. It makes me sound incompetent when I put it like that. You’ve met Toko, though, haven’t you? She told me over dinner that Naegi ‘accepts her for who she is’, or whatever the hell.”

“Toko’s your wife?!” Makoto exclaimed, and Byakuya winced. “Oh, sorry, too loud. Komaru’s been talking to her for months. Platonically, I think, but I’ve never met her. Did you think… Did you think I was cheating on you with Toko?”

“I-... Wait a second…” Byakuya straightened his glasses on his face, only to start rubbing his eyes a second later. “Oh, my god, Makoto, she’s gay. We’re both gay. There’s more than one Naegi, and I thought I was going to lose you to that useless whore.” With a groan, he turned and planted his face against Makoto’s neck, and Makoto let out a soft chuckle, pulling him closer.

“Your jealousy issues are awful, Byakuya, maybe if you would have just stopped and thought for a second…” he murmured, only to hear a sniffle from Byakuya a second later. “...Byakuya? Are you okay?”

Byakuya hadn’t even realized that he started crying. He never cried, that didn’t happen, but somehow, a few stray tears had managed to slip out. Makoto adjusted them so he was holding the other’s face, and Byakuya looked away from him. His lips grazed the palm of Makoto’s hand, and he shut his eyes, putting his own hands over Makoto’s. “You’re… the best thing I’ve had in a while. I didn’t even have my peace of mind around her, and I just told you that I’ve been cheating to be with you and you’re not mad at me. I don’t understand how you can be so loving and understanding.”

“Well, I wish you would have been honest with me from the start, but I can understand that we got carried away pretty early on, and that you didn’t really marry her because you wanted to, I guess… I like you, though. This is a mess, but I think we can work through this all, me and you and Komaru and Toko. We’ll do it together, okay?”

“...Okay,” he murmured, pressing a kiss against Makoto’s palm. 

“Do you need to apologize to Toko? Be honest.” 

Byakuya’s first instinct was to say no. Toko wasn’t deserving of his apology, after all, she had treated him like that for years all for it to culminate to his cheating. Then again… “I may have scared her before I left. I kicked her out, and I don’t know how she’s doing. She cannot survive on her own, she’s quite dumb. So… yes? I owe her an apology?” When he saw Makoto nodding, he sighed and nodded along with him. “I owe her an apology. Can I handle it tomorrow?” 

“For someone who’s usually so mean, you sure do get docile when it comes to things like this, huh? C’mere,” Makoto opened his arms, and Byakuya hesitantly fell into a hug against his chest. “I love you. I’m proud of you for being honest, even if you weren’t super honest to begin with. You can handle Toko tomorrow, just let her know tonight that you’re not kicking her out, okay? She doesn’t need to sleep on the street.” Byakuya gave another nod, nestling his head against him. “...Hey, could I ask you one more question?”

“Anything.”

“Do you really want me to be your boyfriend, or do you just want to get away from Toko?” Makoto was about to ask him if he heard him after silence filled the car until he heard Byakuya take in a breath.

“I hope you understand that I’m not good with the emotions of others, and often not my own. I don’t always say what I mean because it’s difficult for me, and I don’t want to get too invested in case something happens, but… every single time I say that you’re adequate, Makoto, I mean you’re perfect. Your speech, your actions, your mannerisms, you fascinate me, and I want to be there for them. Does that make sense? God, being in love is disgusting, who gave you permission to be so charming?”

“There’s my grumpy jerk,” Makoto chuckled, squeezing a blushing, grinning Byakuya in his arms. “Yeah, I’ll be your boyfriend, even if you were kinda mean tonight and didn’t tip the waiter properly.”

“I tipped him just fine. He wasn’t exemplary or anything, so he got ten percent,” Byakuya argued, and Makoto ruffled his hair.

“Sure, ‘kuya, sure. Wanna go home now? Spend the night together for the first time as boyfriends?” This was how Byakuya wanted to spend his time. The relief of finding out that Makoto was his, and only his, as he held him in his arms, street lights illuminating the car and rain pattering on the roof, was a heaven he could live in forever if only he was allowed to. He was soaked to the bone, and at some point, he would have to go apologize to the woman whom he currently loathed the most, but for now, it didn’t matter. He had Makoto, and that was all he had wanted for the last three months. 

“I would like that, Naegi.”


	7. Chapter 7

Komaru hadn’t heard from Toko in a few days, and it was starting to worry her. She understood that Toko’s situation, mental health or marriage, wasn’t the best, and she had to give her some sort of grace in that, but at the same time, that was all the more reason to be concerned. She really, really liked Toko, and she would be devastated if anything happened to her. Komaru had been pretty popular in high school, but after she graduated, her friends started moving away, one by one, and now Toko was really the only person, other than her brother, who paid her any mind. She was about to send Toko yet another text asking how she was when all of the sudden, her phone started ringing. It was Toko. She was requesting a video chat. Komaru, instantly relieved, answered with a smile. “Toko, hey!”

Komaru quickly noticed that her relief was preemptive. Toko, on the other side of the screen, was desperately trying to hold back tears, and as soon as Komaru spoke, she broke down sobbing. Toko tried to splutter out something as she hyperventilated, clutching onto her sweater tightly, but all she managed to get out was Komaru’s name, broken and watery. Komaru sat there for a second, stunned and unsure of what to do. “I’ll… be right over. Hang on, Toko.” Before Toko could say anything (like she could anyway), Komaru hung up and started gathering a quick bag to take with her. A blanket, some tissues, a few of her favorite movies, and some pajamas in case she had to spend the night. 

Komaru started out of her apartment, but ran into her brother in the hall. He was pulling an oddly familiar blond man behind him by the sleeve of his suit jacket, and Makoto himself looked better dressed than he had in a long time. The man behind him paled, and Makoto gave her a wave. “Hey, Komaru. Where are you going?”

“My friend’s not doing well, so I’m going to spend some time with her.” She took notice of the side-eye that Makoto gave his friend. “Uh… and you?”

“It’s nothing! All good here, you should go talk to your friend. See you when you get back!” Without another word, Makoto continued to drag the other man along. Komaru could have sworn she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on where… it didn’t matter, though, she told herself. She had to go help Toko with whatever she was going through.   
The walk between their two apartments was usually fairly short anyway, but Komaru managed to clear it in five minutes when she ran all the way there at top speed. By the time she reached Toko’s door, she was panting, out of breath, and about ready to fall over, but she knocked nonetheless. She waited for a minute with no answer, then knocked again. Still nothing. She tried the knob, and, lo and behold, it was unlocked.

Komaru stepped inside, and she went to call Toko’s name before she noticed her lying on the couch, curled up in a ball. Her back was to Komaru, but Komaru could hear her sniffling. The crying seemed to have eased somewhat, but she was still shaking pretty hard. Most of her hair had fallen out of her normal bun, and it looked like it hadn’t been brushed in days. She was wearing the same shirt she had been the last time they were together, too. Komaru sat down on the couch beside her, setting the bag on the ground. She could smell the cheap perfume wafting off of Toko, like it was trying desperately to cover something up but wasn’t working very well. She let her hand hover over Toko’s arm for a moment. “...Can I touch you?” She waited for Toko to answer, and to her relief, the other girl gave an affirming nod, and Komaru started gently rubbing her shoulder. “You haven’t been taking care of yourself again, have you?” There was another pause, and Toko shook her head. Komaru sighed. “Alright. I’ll do it for you, then. Wait here a second.”

Komaru got up and headed out of the room, looking for the master bathroom. She had been here a few times, but Toko had always been adamant that they didn’t hang out in her room, no explanation given. It didn’t take her long, going through her room to get to their bathroom. Geez, this place was expensive. The stones in the shower looked like they were laid by hand, and however rich Toko’s husband actually was, he was at the very least ‘two sinks, one bathroom’ rich. Komaru could tell which side was Toko’s. It was the one that was a bit more messy, with sticky notes of writing ideas stuck to the mirror. Komaru quickly found what she was looking for, and took the hairbrush back to Toko. She found her in the exact same position she had been in a minute before, and Komaru sat down beside her once again. “Would you mind sitting up for me?” Slowly but surely, Toko sat up in front of Komaru, back still facing her. “Good! Thank you. I’m going to brush your hair, if you’re okay with that. I’ll stick to… yes or no questions, so you don’t have to try to talk if you don’t want to.” Toko pursed her lips, but gave another brief nod.

Toko’s hair wasn’t easy to get a brush through. It made Komaru feel guilty every single time she tugged, and she watched Toko wince, but Toko never made any indication that she wanted her to stop. She did her best to distract her the entire time. “So… is this about Byakuya?” A nod, but no emotional reaction. “Are you in any danger?” A shrug this time, but Komaru knew she wouldn’t be getting an answer any time soon. “Police danger or divorce danger? Err-” she held her hand out to her, “squeeze once for police, twice for divorce.” Toko took her hand and squeezed it twice, and Komaru frowned, squeezing her hand right back. “Geez, I’m sorry, Toko, you deserve better than that… This is kinda off topic on the rest of the stuff, but your hair is super pretty.” She could see the blush spread across Toko’s cheek as she dropped her hand. Komaru finished brushing Toko’s hair, setting the hairbrush aside. “Doesn’t that feel a little better?” Another nod. “Do you think you could shower? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but you might feel better.” Toko hesitated, her hands fumbling over one another in her lap.

“...Y-You won’t leave if I do?” Toko rasped. Her voice was scratchy, almost like she had been screaming, and she wasn’t very loud, either. Komaru pulled Toko into a loose hug from behind, and she relaxed in her grasp as soon as she did.

“Of course I’m not going to leave, Toko, I’m here to help. Hold on, I bet I could…” It took her a second, but she managed to pull Toko further into her arms and pick her up. Toko gasped, clutching onto Komaru’s shirt as she carried her to the bathroom. With no small effort, she set Toko on the counter, and the other girl was completely red in the face. Komaru started the shower for her, making sure it was warm, then stepped out. “I’ll put a towel and clothes on the bed for you, mmkay?” Toko gave her a half-hearted thumbs up, and Komaru, satisfied, shut the door. 

Komaru tried her best to get things done for Toko while she was in the shower. She started by putting a towel in the dryer and warming it up, and once that was done, she put it on the bed next to a hoodie and some sweatpants that she found in a drawer. She assumed that drawer was Toko’s, as none of it was really folded, but she couldn’t be too sure. She noticed dinner still out on the table, burnt. She cleaned that up instead of bothering to reheat it, it looked sort of inedible anyway. Once all the dishes were washed and the old food cleaned up, she got to work on making Toko something with what she found around the house. Komaru wasn’t all that great of a chef either, but she knew how to make grilled cheese, and it turned out better than whatever Toko had tried to make earlier. She cut it and put it on a plate as soon as she heard the water turn off in the bathroom, then knocked on the bedroom door. “I have food in the kitchen when you’re done!” She didn’t get an answer. “...I’ll take your silence as a ‘I’ll be there in a minute!’” Komaru skipped right back off to the kitchen, sitting down in one of the chairs and waiting for Toko to come back. 

Toko slunk into the kitchen a few minutes later, shuffling on socked feet to the table. Her hair was down her back, dripping wet, and she was wearing the clothes that Komaru had set out for her. She slumped down in the chair across from Komaru, staring at the sandwich. “...What shape is that supposed to be in?”

“Uh… a heart?” Komaru looked down at the grilled cheese. “It looks like a heart, doesn’t it?”

“N-No. It does not.” 

“Oh, hush. It tastes fine, here,” Komaru huffed, holding the sandwich up to Toko’s lips. She looked shocked for a moment, but hesitantly took a bite. She took a minute to consider what Komaru had said, then shrugged and kept eating. Komaru beamed, satisfied, and held the sandwich up for Toko until she finished it. Once she was done, she patted Toko on the head and offered a hand to her. “C’mon. Let me braid your hair, we can sit on the couch together,” before Komaru had even finished talking, Toko’s hand was in hers and she was standing up. Komaru led her over to the couch, sitting down. Toko, apparently not pleased with this, pushed Komaru over to lay down. Komaru let out a soft ‘oof’, and Toko laid down on top of her, cheek pressed against her shoulder. With a bit of difficulty, Komaru started to braid Toko’s hair. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”  
Say what you want about Toko, but Komaru always found her storytelling skills to be amazing. Komaru listened as Toko recounted what had happened that night, all the way to when Komaru walked in the door. The way Toko spoke made it feel too real to Komaru, like she had been the one in the kitchen with Togami instead, and as Toko went about telling her story, Komaru could feel her getting tense on top of her. “...He texted and said that he’s not kicking me out right before you got here. He still… doesn’t lo-love me, though…”

“Your husband sounds like a real asshole,” Komaru huffed, taking the hair tie off her wrist and finishing Toko’s braid.

“D-Don’t be mean.”

“What? You’re gonna defend him after he treated you like that? I’m sorry, Toko, but you deserve better. I’ve never even met the guy, but if I did, I’d give him a piece of my mind right about now.”   
“You’ve never met him?” Putting her chin on Komaru’s chest, Toko looked up at her. “B-But… then why did he say I couldn’t have you?”

“Uh… Maybe he thought you were talking about my brother? Makoto? I saw him with some blond when I was leaving tonight…” Toko froze, her eyes going wide. 

“Blond, glasses, legs for days?” 

“That’s a weird way to put it, but yeah, that’s the one.” Toko’s nose crinkled, and she scowled.

“Not even hours after asking me for a divorce, and he’s already out with his side bitch… God. I don’t even know if I’m that mad about him cheating on me. I’ve had my suspicions, but…” Toko muttered bitterly. “...I think I was more scared of him taking you from me.”

“Taking me? Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. Spite. He gets what he wants, when he wants it, and if he wanted you or he wanted me to be unhappy, he’d get you. Guess he wouldn’t really bother, since apparently, he likes men now. God.”

Komaru squeezed Toko tighter, holding her just that little bit closer. “You’ve sure had a hard time, haven’t you? Don’t worry about him right now, Toko. He’s not here, it’s just you and me, and I like you too much to leave you for someone as mean as him.” 

“You promise?”

“Of course I promise, Toko. You’re kinda my only friend right now, you couldn’t get rid of me if you wanted to.”

“...Yeah, ditto or whatever,” she sighed, putting her head back on Komaru’s shoulder. “I don’t know why I haven’t just started dating you. I like you better than I do him, a-anyway, even if I’m still attached…”

“Well, why don’t we?” 

“I don’t know if I’m ready, I guess. I don’t want to drag you down with my marriage and whatever, and I still kinda feel like I have to like Togami. I-I... think I need to heal, first, or something sappy like that.”

“Well… How about we start with dinner? We can talk to Makoto and Togami together tomorrow, get this whole mess sorted out, and then we go out to eat and see where we go from there?” Toko didn’t say anything. Komaru could hear her breathing, feel the warmth on her chest. As an afterthought, she tacked on, “Or brunch. We could do brunch instead, if that’s more casual or something.”

“Dinner’s fine. I think I would like that. If I don’t… If I’m not ready, I mean, don’t let me hold you down. Don’t let me know you’re dating someone else, though, then I’ll just get jealous again.” Komaru chuckled softly, running her fingers gently across Toko’s back.

“I’ll wait for you, Toko. Promise. Maybe get some sleep, for now? You’ve had a long day.” Toko replied with an ‘mhm’, shutting her eyes.

Komaru took her glasses off for her, setting them aside. turned off the lamp behind her, leaving the only light to be those of the city, blurred through the raindrops on the window. The only things she could hear anymore were the distant sounds of the storm clearing up and Toko, drifting off to sleep right on top of her. Komaru looked down at her face, soft and more relaxed than she had ever seen it. She wanted to protect that serenity, to make her happy and make sure she had better than she did with Togami. She’d make sure that Toko Fukawa, her best friend and maybe even future girlfriend, was the happiest girl alive. 


	8. Chapter 8

Byakuya didn’t remember where he was when he first woke up. These sheets weren’t his, they weren’t nearly nice enough to be, and he was wearing a t-shirt. He didn’t think he even owned any t-shirts. Slowly, he sat up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and fumbling for his glasses on the bedside table, only to find that they weren’t there, nor was his phone. After a moment of panic, it dawned on him what had happened the night before and just where he was. This was Makoto’s bed, and likely Makoto’s shirt, too. That’s right, they had come back from dinner last night, showered, separately at first until Byakuya got annoyed at being left alone and joined him, had sex in the bathroom, then went to bed after putting on some of Makoto’s dry clothes. That must be why the shirt was so short on him, then. Byakuya yawned, laying back down on the bed and stretching himself out. “Makoto?” he called. 

Sure enough, Makoto was in after a minute, spatula in hand. His hair was falling in his face, like he hadn’t brushed it after he woke up. “Oh, hey, you’re up. I made breakfast, is french toast okay?”

“Can you bring it to me? That and my glasses?” he could make out Makoto’s grin from where he was laying.

“I’ll bring you your glasses, but you can get up and get breakfast yourself,” he said as he grabbed Byakuya’s glasses off of the dresser and handed them to him. Byakuya slid them on, and, despite himself, smiled when he saw Makoto’s face more clearly.

“Come on. I’m your new boyfriend, aren’t you supposed to spoil me?” Byakuya held his hands out to Makoto, and he grabbed them and pulled Byakuya up and out of bed. Byakuya put all of his weight on Makoto, almost making the shorter man fall over as he leaned on his shoulder. 

“I spoiled you enough by making breakfast and washing your clothes for you so you have something to wear that fits you,” Makoto replied, leading him to the kitchen. “As nice as you look in… I guess that would be a crop top on you? Whatever, as nice as you look in it, I’m sure you would appreciate your normal clothes.” Food was already laid out on the table on two plates, and it smelled amazing, much better than anything that Toko, or, admittedly, he himself had ever made.

“You’d be correct. It seems like I’ll just have to buy you hoodies that are too big to wear the next time I sleep over,” he sat down, taking his fork in hand and watching Makoto as he did the same. 

“Yeah, about that… You really should apologize to Toko today like you said you would.” 

“Oh, I didn’t say I would do that. I said I owe her an apology, not that she would be getting one,” he took a bite of the french toast. Perfection. “The food is amazing, though, Makoto, truly impressive.”

Makoto sighed. “Nope. You’re not going to act like that. Come on, after breakfast, we’re getting dressed and going over to your apartment. I’ve already told Komaru we’ll be over, and that we’re going to talk about all of this.”

“Why would you go and do something like that? I don’t want to see her,” Byakuya sneered as he looked up at Makoto. He saw the disapproving frown on his face, and Byakuya tensed. He wasn’t used to being met with criticism, and Makoto looking at him like that upset him, especially after he saw how Makoto stood up for himself last night. “...Sorry, this is non-negotiable, isn’t it?”

“Mhm. I want us to be happy, Togami, all of us, so don’t act like that. Komaru isn’t very happy with how you’ve been treating Toko anyway, and I’m not going to let my boyfriend and my sister hate each other.”

“Fine. I’ll look that she-beast in the eye for you and you only, Naegi.”

“And you have to be civil about it.”

“Really?” Anyone else would have described the sound coming from Byakuya in that moment as a whine, but he would never admit to that. “To her?”

“Yep, or… shoot, I’m not good at threats. I… won’t use or accept anything you buy me?”

“Ugh. Fine, don’t do that, I’ll try to be nice,” although Byakuya was displeased, he took pride in the smile that spread across Makoto’s face.

“Thank you. Your clothes are in the bathroom whenever you’re done eating.” He noticed that Makoto hadn’t eaten very much yet, even if Byakuya had managed to eat most of his food between sentences. Once he was done, he waited for Makoto to finish, and Makoto put their dishes in the sink before leading Byakuya to the bathroom by the hand. “You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“Maybe I didn’t wait for your sake,” Byakuya followed him into the bathroom, head held high.   
“Sure you didn’t. You look good in purple, by the way.” 

“I- what?” Byakuya squinted at Makoto for a second before looking into the mirror. His eyes went wide. “Makoto, oh my god.” His neck was covered in hickeys, dark purple and spanning across his entire neck. He didn’t remember Makoto giving him that many last night, but, lo and behold, there they all were. Makoto chuckled as he started to get dressed, and Byakuya scowled as he noticed that he had left his neck unmarked. “I’ll get you back for this later. You’re lucky I keep concealer in my car.”

“What, you keep makeup in your car because you think that you, an argumentative, kinda bratty, and married man are going to get laid and get hickeys all over your neck?”

“Well, when you put it like that, you make me sound like some kind of lunatic,” Baykuya huffed, buttoning up his shirt, tying his tie, and sliding his suit jacket on, “but yes, that’s exactly why I keep it there.”

  
“Cute. Come on, if you’re done, we can go,” without thinking, Byakuya took Makoto’s outstretched hand and let him lead him to the car. He could feel anxiety starting to bubble up in his chest. 

“How do I even apologize to someone, Makoto?” he climbed into the driver’s side, waiting for Makoto to get in before driving off. “Do I get her flowers or something?”

“Flowers? For a divorce? You know what, nevermind, and more importantly, have you never apologized to someone?”

  
“...I seldom do. I am very rarely in the wrong, and if I don’t need to in order to further my career, then I don’t see a reason why I should.”

Makoto pinched the bridge of his nose, and Byakuya could have sworn he heard him quickly count backwards from ten under his breath. “Okay, so we need to work on your accountability, then your jealousy. Got it. Just… go in there, be sincere without being mean. You hurt her, and that’s the problem here. Do you understand that?”

“I understand that she was hurt.”

“Because of you. Just be sensitive to her problems, and be willing to compromise, okay?” Byakuya’s apartment wasn’t all that far away, and Byakuya sighed as he parked.

  
“Okay. You’ll stay the whole time and tell me if I do anything that isn’t to your liking, correct?” Makoto nodded. “Good. Kiss me, and then we can go in.” Without asking any questions, Makoto gently cupped Byakuya’s face and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Byakuya’s hands settled on Makoto’s, holding them there even after Makoto had pulled away. 

“As much as I like seeing that grin on your face after I kiss you, what was that for?” he chuckled, running his thumb over Byakuya’s cheek affectionately. 

“I wanted it in case someone screws this up for us,” he let his cheek rest against Makoto’s hand for another moment before sighing and letting go of him to get out of the car. “Alright, let’s get the circus started.” Once in the parking lot, Makoto took his hand, and they walked up to Byakuya’s apartment together. Byakuya went to knock on the door, but hesitated until Makoto gave him a gentle nudge. Steeling himself, Byakuya knocked on the door to his apartment. He wasn’t scared of Toko. He could do this, and this would end just fine for all parties involved. 

It took a minute or so, and Byakuya was ready to pull Makoto away and call it a day until Toko opened the door. She was dressed in her pajamas, hair braided neatly instead of the normal rat’s nest. She was yawning and rubbing her eyes as she opened the door, and she froze once she saw Byakuya, a look of panic spreading across her face. Byakuya bristled, his shoulders going up and his features twisting into a sneer. “Don’t look at me like that, Fukawa, it’s my apartment and I-” he didn’t manage to finish his sentence before Makoto reached over and shut the door between them.

“Byakuya, what was that?” Makoto asked, exasperated. “She didn’t even say anything and you already got defensive!”

“Well, yes, but I know what she was thinking, and I will not have her be all shocked that I want to enter my own home.”

“Yeah, no, you can’t do that. Civil, remember? Try again, ask to come in this time.”

  
“Makoto, this is ridiculous. I live here, I pay for all of it, she should be the one asking if she can stay.” Makoto gave him a stern look, and Byakuya groaned, straightening himself again. “Fine. I’d like to let you know that I consider this humiliating and I am expecting your affection later to make up for it.”

“Noted.” Byakuya knocked on the door again, no hesitation this time, and instead of Toko, a girl answered. She was the same one that he had seen on Makoto’s walls for months, the same one he had mistaken for his wife. The same one that Toko had threatened to run away with last night. Byakuya felt his lip curl involuntarily. She didn’t look too pleased either, brow furrowed, arms crossed, and foot tapping on the floor.

“Komaru Naegi, I presume. May we come in?”

  
“Togami,” she gave him a curt nod, “I guess you can.” She guessed?! Byakuya gave her a condescending smile as he walked inside, tightening his grip on Makoto’s hand. How dare she talk to him like that, nevermind the fact that she did it while standing in the doorway of his own apartment! Toko was on the couch, legs tucked into her hoodie in all her meek, shameful glory. He took a seat in his armchair, legs crossed, but didn’t let go of Makoto’s hand. Makoto glanced around for a moment, trying to find somewhere to sit before settling with the arm of the chair. Despite Byakuya’s reservations with this- the chair was expensive- he allowed Makoto to sit there. It was better for him to be there and to have to replace the chair later than it was being apart from him right now. Komaru settled down next to Toko, wrapping an arm around her, and spoke first. “Is there something you would like to say to Toko?”

“I’m sorry?” Byakuya raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, that’s the one. More conviction, though, and maybe say why you’re sorry.”

“No, I meant, I’m sorry if you expect me to go first in this.” Makoto nudged him, and Byakuya frowned, looking over at him. His boyfriend was giving him that stern look again. “...But I suppose I should?” Once he got the nod of approval from Makoto, he sighed, turning towards Toko. He refused to meet her eyes, but he would at least speak somewhat at her. “Fine. Toko, I’m sorry for… cheating on you and kicking you out of the house.” None of them looked truly satisfied, especially not Komaru. “And… for being unnecessarily cruel. I would still like a divorce, this relationship is not working for me, but I understand that I hurt you and that was wrong of me.”

“Apology accepted,” she mumbled, muffled by the fabric covering her mouth, “but I don’t forgive you. Komaru’s right, you kind of suck.”

“Wh- but I apologized!” Byakuya protested, raising his voice in the process. Toko flinched, and he could see Makoto shaking his head out of the corner of his eye. “...Sorry. I understand.” Komaru gave a quick nod, then murmured something to Toko under her breath.

“I don’t see why I have to apologize to him. He’s the cheater.” Komaru said something else, and Toko let out a long, tired sigh. “Fine. Byakuya, I’m sorry for my behavior as well.”

“If you’re talking about the years’ worth of stalking and obsession, I can find it in myself to forgive you if you never do it again.”

  
“Fine… I guess if you want a divorce that badly, we should sort something out. You sure you don’t still love me, deep down?”

“Absolutely not.”

  
“Harsh!” Komaru admonished, and Byakuya mimicked her look of disapproval.

“If you want to give her so much credit, you try living with her. I’m exhausted.”

“Fine, maybe I will!”

  
“Komaru, wait, we really don’t have the money to put a third person on the rent…” Makoto interjected. Togami scoffed. 

“I’d spare you that hell, Naegi, I’d let you move in with me if that happened.” A brief silence fell over the room until Komaru spoke up, once again. He could see how Toko could like her.

“That’s… actually not a bad idea. We’re each with someone who makes us happy, you two don’t have to see each other, and I get to be more independent from my family… That could work, don’t you all think?” Toko nodded immediately, but Byakuya could see Makoto hesitating. Personally, he didn’t see it as all that bad of a plan; he could have Makoto to himself whenever he wanted, and he didn’t have to see Toko nearly as often. He didn’t, however, want to force Makoto into something he wasn’t ready for. It was, admittedly, quite the big step. Waiting, barely breathing, he watched Makoto as he seemingly went through every single option in his head. It took him a little bit, but Makoto eventually nodded. 

“If Byakuya’s okay with it, I think we could make it work. We can try it while the divorce goes through and see from there.” Inwardly, Byakuya was relieved, even excited to have something new, but he refused to show it. 

“Fine. Sounds like a decent plan, then. I’ll stay with Naegi and help him pack until Fukawa is moved out. It was a pleasure doing business with the both of you, and we’ll leave you to… whatever you were doing before we showed up. Come on, Makoto,” he didn’t even wait for a response before dragging Makoto out the door. He vaguely registered some sort of relief, or sorrow, maybe, on Toko’s face, and Komaru immediately mentioned something about brunch, but he didn’t have it in him to care at the moment. He pulled Makoto out the door, all the way down to the car, ignoring Makoto’s protests until they were sitting in his seat. He let out a sigh, and his shoulders slumped a bit. “...Sorry. I didn’t want to be there anymore.”

  
“I see that,” Makoto laughed, only stopping because of the half assed glare Byakuya shot at him. “I’m proud of you for doing that, though. It’s a good start.” 

“Thank you. I needed to hear that,” hearing that he had done a good job from Makoto pleased him to no end. He had more power, influence, and money than Makoto ever would, so logically, his opinion should have meant nothing to him, but the validation he received from soft, genuine appreciation made him feel warm on the inside. “We can go home now, right? There’s nothing else I have to do?”

Makoto leaned across the center console and kissed him on the cheek. Byakuya felt his cheeks go red. “Yep. I think I remember you saying something about getting back at me for your neck, right?”

“Why, you little-” Byakuya righted himself and pulled out of the parking lot, causing Makoto to fall back in his seat. “Fine, if you’re asking for it, that’s the afternoon plan, and I’d like to let you know that I am not going to be merciful.”

Meanwhile, Toko and Komaru were already sitting in Toko’s room, sorting through the closet. Komaru held up a shirt to show to Toko on the bed. “Pack it?” 

“Trash it. It never fit me anyway.” Toko watched as Komaru put the shirt in a trash bag, then turned back to the closet. “Komaru, why do you want to live with me when you know what I’m like?”

“Hm? Oh. I like you, Toko.”

“No one likes someone that much. I disgust you, don’t I? You deserve a better roommate.”

“Toko,” Komaru set the shirt in her lap down, turning back to the other girl, “I don’t hate you. You don’t disgust me because I understand what you’ve been through and why you are the way you are. You just need help and someone who cares about you, and I want to be able to help, okay?” Toko was silent, balling up the edge of her hoodie in her fists. “...Okay, Toko?”

“Th-There has to be some kind of catch here. Some kind of repayment, right?” Toko didn’t look up at her, eyes locked on her clenched fists. “What do you want from me?”

“Mmmm… fine. I’ll accept repayment for letting you move in with me.” 

Toko’s shoulders sagged, and her knuckles went white. Of course there was a catch, there’s always a catch. “Anything.”

“Brunch. We get brunch, and then we have a fun day together. That’s the payment I want, take it or leave it,” she replied with a dopey, determined smile before tacking on, “and I’m paying!”

“You’re too nice, Komaru,” Toko muttered, climbing onto the floor beside her. Komaru giggled, pulling Toko into a hug. When Toko didn’t flinch, she was so proud of herself, and so happy that she could trust Komaru like this.

“I like you, Toko, I’m not going to make you repay me or whatever. Just you being around is repayment enough.” Nestled in Komaru’s arms, Toko felt serenity. She felt safe in her own apartment for once in her life, and relief washed over her as she realized that this could be the rest of her life. Maybe the girlfriend thing wouldn’t be so bad, she thought to herself as she saw the smile gracing Komaru’s face. That, however, sounded like something for a different day. Komaru pulled away and held up a new shirt. “So, what about this one?”

While Toko’s and Byakuya’s marriage may have been a wreck for years, that night, holding the person that they truly loved, they couldn’t help but think that somehow, the other had contributed to them finally getting their happy endings. No matter how long it had taken, the hardships they had faced with each other, or the trauma that they would have to overcome because of it, they both knew that they now had someone to rely on, someone that they cared for. As far as either of them were concerned, they had reached something wonderful, and they could finally relax and foster a relationship that would benefit them for years to come.


End file.
